All this time Samson, anxious of the issue, kept asking me in asides in French to let him know my history. As, however, he did not, or would not, speak in German, he had to remain in ignorance.
The performance proceeded, and now Cyclops took with one hand a dumb-bell weighing 210lbs., and extending it at arm’s length, bent down and raised over his head with the other a second dumb-bell, of 100lbs. weight.
When I repeated this feat, it was thought that the challenge had been won, for this was the end of the performance for which it was understood it was offered. Mr. Fleming, accordingly, asked for the £100, but Samson refused, saying that the whole performance would have to be repeated and continued until one of the two competitors gave in. Nothing less would satisfy him as to which of the two was the stronger. On this point the audience disagreed, and called on him to hand over the money. Appeal was made to Captain Molesworth, who addressing the audience, promised to see fair play. He could not agree, he said, with Mr. Samson that it was fair that the performance should be continued until one of them dropped from sheer exhaustion, but he suggested that Cyclops should introduce two fresh feats, and that if I could repeat them the money should be mine without further question.
Although the audience still maintained that the challenge had been won, I expressed, through my interpreter, perfect willingness to perform not two only, but twenty more feats, should Cyclops wish to try them.
The first of the two extra feats was then taken: Cyclops lying on his back, raised a weight of 240 lbs. with two men sitting on it, and when the men jumped off he himself stood up, raising the weight with him. This performance I also repeated.
Now came the final effort. At the side of the stage stood a great stone, weighing, I should think, about 500 lbs. On this stone were secured the two 56lb. weights. Two chairs were brought, and Cyclops, standing on them, in order to get a position above the stone and its weights, raised the whole load with his middle finger some four inches above the ground.
When this performance had been repeated by me, Samson acknowledged that that part of the challenge relating to Cyclops had been won, and offered to hand over the £100.
My interpreter then explained that I had not come to London to win merely the £100; I had come for the greater sum, the £1,000, in fact, which had been offered to any person who should defeat Samson himself.
Samson, who was clearly surprised at the issue, replied that he was not prepared to meet me that night, and though the public disapproved of the postponement, it was eventually decided with Captain Molesworth that the test should be made on the following Saturday evening.
The eventful evening which was to decide the issue between us fell on the 2nd of November, 1889. Never, it was said, had the Royal Aquarium been so densely crowded. The people began to arrive as early as two o’clock in the afternoon. When I reached the building, in company with Captain Molesworth, Mr. Attila, and Mr. Fleming, twenty minutes before the hour announced for the challenge to be taken up, it was literally impossible to get through the crowd.